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Chemotherapy of Hexamitiasis in Fish

1961; American Society of Parasitologists; Volume: 47; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/3274985

1937-2345

W. T. Yasutake, Donald R. Buhler, Warren E. Shanks,

Aquatic life and conservation

Hexamita salmonis, the causative agent of hexamitiasis in salmonoid fishes, is endemic in most trout and salmon hatcheries throughout North America. The etiologic agent, a protozoan flagellate, ostensibly causes cellular damage in the caecal mucosa of afflicted fishes. It is also believed that heavy infections may interfere with normal growth by direct competition with the host for available nutrients in the intestinal tract. While the role of this supposed pathogen is relatively unclear, its presence in test fishes at this laboratory has caused considerable concern during the conduct of controlled nutritional studies. Although McNeil et al (1941) showed that the incidence of Hexamita infections is widespread, hexamitiasis appears to be commercially important only in turkeys (Almquist and Johnson, 1951) and fish (Davis, 1953).